Mike Nadel: Can Rose bloom under pressure?

Friday

Jun 27, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Derrick Rose celebrated his incredible fortune by snarfing down Gummy Worms, hugging his family and sporting a 200-watt smile. It was a nice way for the Chicago teenager to delay having to deal with harsh reality: The easy part is over.

Mike Nadel

Derrick Rose celebrated his incredible fortune by snarfing down Gummy Worms, hugging his family and sporting a 200-watt smile. It was a nice way for the Chicago teenager to delay having to deal with harsh reality: The easy part is over.

He has gone from concept to savior - and in his hometown, no less.

"Of course, it's gonna be pressure," the Bulls' new point guard said. "But I'm used to playing in Chicago, so it won't matter."

Sorry, Derrick, but shooting hoops at Simeon High isn't quite the same as playing at the United Center in front of angry fans who paid hundreds of dollars for their tickets.

Yes, this absolutely is more than just a "Local Kid Makes Good" story. It's a great story of a boy who survived a tough city neighborhood, worked hard to improve his life, became a fine young man and realized his dream.

And yet it's hard not to worry at least a little about Rose because of the outsized expectation levels.

For example, I caught up with ESPN basketball analyst (and former Illinois point guard) Stephen Bardo, and these were the first words out of his mouth: "Derrick Rose immediately becomes the most athletic point guard in NBA history."

Is that all?

"(Kansas coach) Bill Self says he can get the defensive rebound and be at the offensive goal in three dribbles."

That's roughly 31 feet per dribble. Could even Michael Jordan in his prime - and in an Iron Man suit - have done that?

Everybody raves about Rose - and for good reason. He's fast and strong and dynamic and passionate and intelligent and mature beyond his years. He also plays bigger than his 6-foot-3 frame.

Mostly, basketball people love that he's a big winner. He won two state titles at Simeon and came within a few missed free throws (including one by Rose) of winning the national title as a Memphis freshman.

It's impossible not to like Rose, who simultaneously manages to pull off humility and confidence. He's nicknamed "Pooh." He loves Gummy Worms, Twizzlers and other nutritious foods.

"This kid is grounded," said Bardo, who knows Rose's brothers. "He's not into getting drunk. He's not into chasing skirts. He's into basketball. He's a gym rat. He wants to be league MVP."

Indeed, it's not Rose's fault Dickie and Digger and even reasonably normal people are going gaga over him. He'll just be the one hit by the fallout if he can't live up to the ridiculous hype.

"He's gonna make other players better and I think he'll give us some leadership abilities as he goes on, which we really need," Paxson said. "But we're not gonna throw him in this thing saying, 'Here, you gotta do everything right now.' We'll give him time."

Rose's response: "I think I'll just come in and lead the team."

Even as we forgive a teenager's impatience, the rest of us should embrace that virtue.

The Bulls are not very good. They shoot poorly. They forget to play defense. They have no interior presence. They have some bad characters. They had too many guards before Rose came aboard, so Paxson has lots of excess to dump. Their new coach, Vinny Del Negro, never has been even an assistant at any level.

Yeah, people say, but look what 2005 first-rounders Chris Paul and Deron Williams did in New Orleans and Utah.

Well, people conveniently forget facts. Paul shot 43 percent in his first two seasons as the Hornets lost more than they won. As a rookie, Williams was benched by Jerry Sloan for awhile and the Jazz missed the playoffs.

Although the Bulls would love it if the Jason Kidd comparisons come true, Kidd didn't experience a winning NBA season until his fourth year.

Isiah Thomas is the standard by which all Chicago point guards are measured. The No. 2 pick in 1981, he suffered through two losing seasons with Detroit and didn't have a 50-win campaign until his sixth year.

How likely is it that Rose will do for the Bulls what Thomas, Kidd, Williams and Paul couldn't do for their teams? Bless his heart, Derrick wasn't thinking about such things.

Asked to describe his draft-day experience, Rose said: "It's been amazing. Waking up in the morning knowing that today is my day ... it's been crazy ... making me feel really important. You really don't want the day to end."

Ah, but the day had to end. Warning: Reality ahead.

Mike Nadel (mikenadel@sbcglobal.net) is the Chicago sports columnist for GateHouse News Service. Read his blog, The Baldest Truth, at www.thebaldesttruth.com.

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